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blowing up the piggy bank

Hi,
so I have been saving money the whole year to get a completely new system, since my old rig is about 10 years old and there really is no way to keep him running any longer with incremental updates. So I read through the Hard Choices columns and did a bit of searching through the net and the end result is this below. I copypasted everything from alternate (currently living in germany and it seems to be the best online retailer). But after seeing the price I felt a little sick. I'll be able to afford it (next month). But still this is kinda expensive so I just wanted to make sure that the current config will be worth it.

So any suggestions? Did I do something horribly wrong? Will I regret not switching x for y? And do I really need to buy a Soundcard or should I stick with the onboard one?

Sorry to bother you all with this but the last PC I built myself was in 98 to play Unreal...

That is a pretty kick-ass rig. If you want to save somewhere, consider a cheaper/smaller SSD, skip the sound card and settle for 16GB RAM for now, unless you know you need 32GB for certain applications.

That is a pretty kick-ass rig. If you want to save somewhere, consider a cheaper/smaller SSD, skip the sound card and settle for 16GB RAM for now, unless you know you need 32GB for certain applications.

I agree with those recommendations as well. Though i would suggest going all the way down to 8 GB RAM unless there's some particular reason to buy more. You could get faster RAM instead, if you do want something to spend the money on. Oh, and get RAM with low-profile heatsinks. All you get from those big heatsinks is the risk of clashing with the CPU cooler.

Yeah, the RAM is way over the top, I have no problems with 8Gb despite my habit of leaving programs running, you really won't notice the difference between 16 and 32 Gb in normal use except in the wallet department, and it is something that can be easily addressed later anyway.

The SSD does seem another great expense, and 250Gb or even 128Gb might suffice, you'd have to ask an SSD buff on that, though, I have yet to take the plunge on one.

You might want to cut the sound card, too, at least until you've worked out if you can live with the onboard sound, again, it is an easy thing to add after the initial build.

Nice choice on the case, BTW, I opted for one of those, and while it seemed expensive at the time, I think it was well worth it.

I agree with those recommendations as well. Though i would suggest going all the way down to 8 GB RAM unless there's some particular reason to buy more. You could get faster RAM instead, if you do want something to spend the money on. Oh, and get RAM with low-profile heatsinks. All you get from those big heatsinks is the risk of clashing with the CPU cooler.

Thanks for the suggestions, although I don't see why the XFX would be a better power supply. The specs don't seem any better than the beQuite, but it sure is cheaper, which is nice.

Also if I settle for 16GB (or even 8gb) of RAM any suggestions which type I should look for? I really don't get the differences between DDR3-1600, DDR3-1333, etc. And if the Timings come into the mix I am completely lost...

Thanks for the suggestions, although I don't see why the XFX would be a better power supply. The specs don't seem any better than the beQuite, but it sure is cheaper, which is nice.

Don't get too hung up on specs, it varies how reliable they are. Some PSU manufacturers just plain lie about the capabilities of their power supplies, others bend the truth a little, and some are veritable saints.

The reason I recommend a different PSU is that the one you picked has had bad reviews. It can fail to adhere to the ATX specification in some circumstances.

Originally Posted by gnodab

Also if I settle for 16GB (or even 8gb) of RAM any suggestions which type I should look for? I really don't get the differences between DDR3-1600, DDR3-1333, etc. And if the Timings come into the mix I am completely lost...

The higher the frequency, the better; the lower the timings, the better. Frequency is the more important factor. Also, there are diminishing returns on faster RAM. Going beyond DDR3-1866 CL9 is not going to make a difference in most situations. Even the difference between DDR3-1866 CL9 and DDR3-1600 CL9 is pretty small.

Thank you so much Sakkura, you are my hero! You saved me at least 300€ so far. Have 9000 Internets on me ;)
Now I am thinking of downgrading the GPU to a 670 and upping the CPU to a 3770K. Is it worth it? I mean the 90€ difference suddenly doesn't seem so bad anymore...

Thank you so much Sakkura, you are my hero! You saved me at least 300€ so far. Have 9000 Internets on me ;)
Now I am thinking of downgrading the GPU to a 670 and upping the CPU to a 3770K. Is it worth it? I mean the 90€ difference suddenly doesn't seem so bad anymore...